If you have tuned into any Indiana football game this season, you are likely familiar with quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Heisman Trophy winner guided the Hoosiers to a Big Ten Championship and became the face of one of the most explosive teams in the country. This season Indiana is often defined by its poised quarterback play, dynamic receivers, or even its gruff, no-nonsense head coach. Yet the most punishing part of the Hoosiers’ identity has quietly worn opponents down all season long. Their run game.
“The biggest part of our run game is being able to break down a defense’s will,” offensive lineman Carter Smith said during Monday’s press conference. “I think we’ve done that many times on film so far this year.”
The film does not lie. While Mendoza has been brilliant, his passing totals do not always leap off the stat sheet. That is not a flaw. It is a byproduct of Indiana’s devastating one-two punch in the backfield with Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black. The Hoosiers rank third among Power 4 teams in rushing yards per game and 11th nationally among all FBS programs, averaging 220.7 yards on the ground per contest. When Indiana gets rolling, it prefers to impose its will between the tackles rather than airing it out.
That approach has shattered opponents. Indiana has eclipsed the 300-yard rushing mark six times this season, including a demolition of Purdue with 355 yards and five touchdowns and a dominant road performance at Maryland that produced 367 yards and four scores. The Hoosiers even gashed a then No. 9 Illinois team for 312 rushing yards and three touchdowns, turning a ranked matchup into a physical mismatch.
“We take a lot of pride in breaking an opponent’s will,” running back Kaelon Black said Monday. “That’s something we preach in practice as running backs, get our feet planted in the ground, get vertical. We can’t spend too much time dancing around, going east and west. The fastest point to form a straight line is going straight. We try to get in the end zone and try to score touchdowns.”
The running backs’ impact goes far beyond what shows up in the box score. Hemby and Black are trusted in pass protection, stonewalling blitzers and giving Mendoza the time he needs to operate. Their threat on the ground also fuels Indiana’s RPOs and play-action concepts, forcing defenses to hesitate for just a split second. That hesitation is often all the Hoosiers need.
Together, Hemby and Black have formed one of the most dangerous backfield tandems in the country. Black has carried the ball 157 times for 898 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt with eight touchdowns. Hemby has been just as productive, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark with 1,007 yards on 194 carries while averaging 5.2 yards per rush. He has also added another dimension as a receiver, hauling in 14 catches for 160 yards. The balance between the two keeps defenses guessing and prevents any chance of relief.
As impactful as the backs have been, they are quick to point to the unsung heroes up front. Indiana’s offensive line has been the engine behind the run game, consistently creating clean lanes and wearing down defensive fronts snap after snap.
“You see the guys we have up front, they work really hard,” Hemby said. “They make myself and Kaelon’s job really easy. We just try to out-physical some of our opponents. We want to make it a four-quarter fight where we impose our will. At some point in the game, we feel we can potentially break the defense or make that play that helps us win.”
That philosophy has extended beyond the top two backs. Redshirt freshman Khobie Martin has emerged as another punishing option, totaling 463 yards and six touchdowns on 73 carries. Before suffering an injury, Lee Beebe Jr. added valuable production as well, rushing for 209 yards and a score on 27 attempts. With Beebe and Martin set to lead the room next season alongside future portal additions, Indiana’s rushing identity is built to last.
Even the Mendoza brothers have contributed to the ground assault. Fernando has added 256 rushing yards and six touchdowns of his own, while Alberto has been a lightning bolt in limited opportunities, posting 190 yards on just 13 carries for an eye-popping 14.6 yards per rush and a touchdown. Every piece fits, and every carry compounds the pressure.
Doubt has followed Indiana all season. Some critics and armchair “analysts” questioned whether the Hoosiers could sustain their success, and even before their matchup with Alabama, there was skepticism. Indiana answered that noise by rushing for 215 yards and two touchdowns against the Crimson Tide. While people didn’t believe in them, inside the program, it never mattered. The focus remained on getting better each week and leaning on a locker room built around trust and toughness.
While Indiana tuned out the spotlight, Oregon quietly recalibrated. Since their October loss to the Hoosiers, the Ducks have largely flown under the radar, reshaping their identity and sharpening their physical edge. In that Week 7 meeting in Eugene, Indiana’s rushing attack set the tone, opening up the passing game and powering a 30–20 victory. This version of Oregon, however, is not the same one Indiana faced in the fall.
“The trenches, Oregon’s D-line, they have a great D-line, a great linebacking corps,” Black said Monday. “Those guys seem to play really fast, especially in the back end as well. We definitely have our hands full this week. They seem to have gotten better since the last time we played them. Those improvements definitely show on tape.”
Friday night’s Peach Bowl sets the stage for a heavyweight rematch. Beating Oregon once in Eugene was hard enough. Doing it again on a neutral field against a Ducks team hungry for revenge and a spot in the national title game will demand Indiana’s most complete effort of the season. Desire will matter. Preparation will matter. And as it has all year, the battle will be decided in the trenches.
If Indiana wants to punch its ticket forward, the formula remains unchanged. Hemby, Black, and the rest of the backfield must lean on an offensive line built to punish, pound, and persist. Because when Indiana’s run game finds its rhythm, it does more than move the chains. It breaks the will of whoever lines up across from it.